2nd climber rescued on McKinley

South Korean taken to hospital as five others continue climb

Posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2001

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DENALI NATIONAL PARK - A South Korean climber was airlifted off Mount McKinley and relayed to an Anchorage hospital Monday after seeking aid at a medical tent high on Mount McKinley, according to the National Park Service.

The agency wouldn't identify the stricken climber, but officials said he was in the same party as Young Tak Chin, 23, who was evacuated over the weekend after suffering from acute altitude sickness, which can be fatal. Five of the eight members of that party continued to try to reach the summit after Chin was flown off the mountain Saturday, officials said.

The second climber's symptoms did not appear to be related to mountain sickness, and medical workers at the 14,200-foot camp where he sought help thought he might be suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding, according to the Park Service. The cause of the illness was unknown, but the climber had a history of ulcers.

The patient was taken from the 14,200-foot camp by the Park Service's high-altitude Lama helicopter at about 2:45 p.m. and brought to the base camp at 7,200 feet. An Air National Guard helicopter picked him up at 5:30 p.m. and ferried him to Alaska Regional Hospital.

About 200 climbers are on the mountain at this point. Altogether, 1,319 people have registered to climb North America's tallest peak this season.

As of Monday, the Park Service said none of the climbers had reached the summit.